The present invention relates to telecommunications, and more particularly to systems and methods used to generate profits from Internet commerce.
The Internet is a modern communication system that allows computer operators (users) to network with other operators as well as a variety of Internet sites (databases). These Internet sites often provide useful information, such as news and weather information, or offer products or services that can be purchased by users using, for example, credit card numbers.
As the popularity of the Internet has grown, so has the potential for profit by companies engaged in Internet-based commerce (commonly referred to as xe2x80x9ce-commercexe2x80x9d). As used herein, the term xe2x80x9ce-commercexe2x80x9d refers to traditional commerce over the Internetxe2x80x94i.e., the sale of goods and services. In addition, the term xe2x80x9ce-commercexe2x80x9d is used herein to refer to other uses of the Internet for profit, such as the hosting of banners by a more popular Internet site through which an Internet user passes to a less popular Internet site. Typically, the less popular Internet site pays the more popular Internet site an agreed to amount for each xe2x80x9chitxe2x80x9d passing through the banner. A common factor that often determines the success or failure of these e-commerce companies is the number of users that access (xe2x80x9chitxe2x80x9d) that company""s Internet site. That is, for Internet sites that sell goods and services, the greater the number of hits, the greater the potential for profit from the sale of products or services. Similarly, for Internet sits providing useful information, the greater the number of hits, the greater the chance that users will pass through a banner to a less popular Internet site paying for the banner.
A company""s Internet site is typically found, for example, through advertising of the company""s Internet address (URL) using conventional medium (e.g., television, radio, billboard, etc.), through banners posted in frequently-visited Internet sites, and through search engines provided by Internet portals.
Internet portals are multi-purpose Internet sites that, among other things, provide various types of general information (news, weather, stock quotes, etc.), post links to various Internet service sites, provide e-mail services, host online chat rooms and message boards, and provide search engine functions. Examples of popular Internet portals include Yahoo, AOL, and MSN. Internet portals often profit from subscriber Internet sites (i.e., Internet sites that pay the Internet portal to include their URLs and brief Internet site descriptions into that portal""s search engine, and/or display banners or other links to the Internet sites). Internet sites that subscribe to one or more Internet portals greatly increase their chance of receiving xe2x80x9chitsxe2x80x9d due to the number of users that access the Internet portals in search of an Internet site providing a desired service. For example, a user seeking an Internet site that sells books may access an Internet portal and submit the term xe2x80x9cBOOKSxe2x80x9d to the portal""s search engine. A list of Internet book sellers that subscribe to that Internet portal is then displayed for the user, who then accesses a selected Internet site from the displayed list.
Whether accessed directly or through an Internet portal, conventional Internet access technologies make the process of connecting to an Internet site difficult and expensive. Conventional Internet technologies typically utilize a sophisticated microprocessor (e.g., an Intel Pentium processor) and sophisticated software (e.g., Microsoft Windows ""98 and Microsoft Access) that are incorporated into a person computer, which often costs more than $1,000.00. These technologies also require a user to perform several difficult interface processes using a QWERTY keyboard, for example, establishing a connection using an Internet Service Provider (ISP) by entering user information, and then entering URLs for desired sites. In addition, these conventional technologies require a user to enter, for example, a credit card number or other sensitive information that is transmitted to selected Internet sites.
Recognizing that there are a vast number of potential users that cannot afford to purchase a personal computer, or who are intimidated by personal computer operation, computer makers have sought to provide low cost and easy-to-understand Internet access systems. One attempt to provide such a system is produced by WebTV Networks, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. The WebTV system provides a set-top box that connects to a user""s television and allows the user to access the Internet using a wireless input device, thereby eliminating the cost of a computer monitor, while providing a convenient data input method. However, the WebTV set-top box is comparable to personal computers in price, and requires the user to master much of the same expensive and confusing software that is used on personal computers. Therefore, although the WebTV system makes accessing the Internet somewhat less complicated, it remains too expensive and complex for many potential users.
What is needed is a method for establishing an Internet network that both directs users to the Internet sites of the network in an easy-to-use manner, thereby maximizing the number of hits to each Internet site of the network. Ideally, each user terminal of the network would be significantly less expensive than conventional Internet access platforms, and as easy to use as a television.
The present invention is directed to a channel-based Internet access network made up of user terminals that connect to selected Internet sites in response to channel numbers entered by a user. The channel numbers and associated Internet site addresses are downloaded from a central server to each user terminal of the network, and are displayed for the user on, for example, the user""s television. To select an Internet site displayed on the user""s television, the user merely enters the displayed channel number associated with the Internet site using a device similar to a television remote control. Consequently, the channel-based Internet access network allows a user to access selected Internet sites as easily as changing the channels on a television, thereby providing Internet access to those who are otherwise intimidated by Internet access using personal computers. Specifically, because many people who are accustomed to using a television remote control find QWERTY keyboards and the URLs of conventional Internet access platforms intimidating, the channel-based network of the present invention is likely to greatly increase the number of people that access the Internet on a regular basis.
The present invention is particularly directed to methods for establishing and operating a channel-based Internet network by allocating channel numbers to the Internet sites and Internet portals that wish to be accessed by the user terminals. In comparison to conventional Internet access using personal computers, the channel-based Internet network of the present invention promotes relatively frequent Internet site xe2x80x9chitsxe2x80x9d because the number of Internet sites that are accessible on the network is limited to the number of channel numbers assigned by the network administrator. That is, instead of the unlimited number of Internet sites accessible by Internet users using personal computers, the number of Internet sites accessed through the channel-based Internet network is limited to X, where X represents the number of channel numbers assigned by the network administrator. When X is relatively low, the probable number of xe2x80x9chitsxe2x80x9d for a particular site having an assigned channel number is relatively high because users have fewer Internet sites to select. Further, by obtaining a channel number in a group of channel numbers assigned to similar Internet sites (e.g., online stores), the probable number of xe2x80x9chitsxe2x80x9d for a particular Internet site is increased by users that xe2x80x9csurfxe2x80x9d the channel numbers (e.g., press a xe2x80x9cNEXT CHANNELxe2x80x9d button on the remote control). Consequently, by subscribing to the channel-based Internet network of the present invention (i.e., by being assigned a channel number), an Internet site greatly increases its chance of being xe2x80x9chitxe2x80x9d, thereby enhancing profitable e-commerce.
In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for incorporating individual Internet sites into a channel-based Internet network by allocating channel numbers to the individual Internet sites. The method includes receiving a request for a channel number assignment from an Internet site having an Internet address, assigning a selected channel number to the requesting Internet site, updating a master channel table stored in the channel table database of the network server to reflect the assigned channel number, and transmitting the updated master channel table information to the user terminals of the channel-based Internet network. Typically, the network administrator solicits requests for channel number assignment by offering available channel numbers to selected Internet sites for a fixed or negotiated fee. In one embodiment, the fee is determined by the particular channel number requested. For example, easy-to-remember (preferred) channel numbers such as xe2x80x9c123xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9c111xe2x80x9d, or xe2x80x9c999xe2x80x9d are offered at a higher price than other, less-easy-to-remember (non-preferred) channel numbers. In another embodiment, the fee is determined by the number of user terminals in the network. Typically, the larger the number of user terminals, the higher the probability of xe2x80x9chitsxe2x80x9d to each Internet site, and the higher calculated fee for each channel number. Accordingly, when an easy-to-remember channel number is requested by an Internet site, the network administrator first verifies the channel number""s availability, calculates a fee that includes a premium for the requested channel number, and then asks the requesting Internet site to confirm the assignment at the calculated fee. Alternatively, when a channel number is not specified by a requesting Internet site, the service type (e.g., online shopping) provided by the requesting Internet site is identified, then a channel number selected from a group of channel numbers associated with the identified service type, the fee is calculated, and then confirmation is requested from the requesting Internet site. Upon confirmation of the channel number assignment, the requesting Internet site""s address (e.g., URL) and site name are entered in the channel table database in fields associated with the assigned channel number. Subsequently, the user terminals download the updated channel table information, thereby allowing the user to access the requesting Internet site by entering the assigned channel number.
In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for displaying logos for Internet sites in a channel-based Internet network by allocating logo space on a series of Web pages utilized to display channel numbers. The method includes receiving a request for a logo space assignment from an Internet site having a number, assigning a selected logo space to the requesting Internet site, updating the server to store Web page information indicating the placement of the logo and a master channel table to store the logo (e.g., jpeg), and transmitting the updated Web page and master channel table information to the user terminals of the channel-based Internet network. When a user subsequently calls the updated Web page, the user terminal displays the logo and the assigned channel number, thereby further advertising the Internet site to users. Subsequently, when a user selects (clicks on) the logo, the channel based system accesses the Internet site using the address stored in the channel table, and downloads information from the Internet site. Because the channel table is utilized to access Internet sites identified by the logos, the required amount of memory space is limited, thereby making the user terminal inexpensive to manufacture.
The present invention will be more fully understood in view of the following description and drawings.